Jack for power implement

ABSTRACT

A lawnmower comprising a chassis and a mower deck movable with respect to the chassis. A cylinder assembly is mounted to said chassis, and includes an actuating cylinder, and a piston shaft selectively extendable and retractable with respect to the cylinder under the influence of fluid pressure within the cylinder. A deck lift assembly is interconnected to the chassis and the mower deck for adjusting the height of the mower deck with respect to the chassis. The deck lift assembly includes a pivot member pivotally connected to the chassis. A jack is removably coupled to the pivot member, such that the chassis is raised and lowered in response to movement of the piston shaft with respect to the cylinder. The jack utilizes the existing hydraulic system and cylinder assembly of the lawnmower to raise the lawnmower with respect to the ground.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/264,688, filed Oct. 4, 2002, the entire disclosure of whichis incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to a jack device for power implements suchas utility tractors, lawnmowers, landscaping equipment, trimmers,tillers, snow throwers, or other similar implements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Power implements commonly include devices such as utilitytractors, lawnmowers, landscaping equipment, trimmers, tillers, snowthrowers, or other similar implements, and are used for general outdoorapplications such as landscaping, gardening, lawn care, or snow removal.Lawnmowers generally include a cutting blade rotating near the ground tocut vegetation, and a mower deck or protective housing that encloses therotational path of the cutting blade. Access to the mower deck, cuttingblades or underside of the lawnmower is often required to performregular maintenance on the lawnmower. Lawnmowers, particularly ridinglawnmower and lawn tractors, are relatively heavy. A jack may be used tolift a portion of the lawnmower to provide access under the lawnmowerand to the cutting blade.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention provides a lawnmower comprising a chassisand a mower deck movable with respect to the chassis. A cylinderassembly is mounted to said chassis, and includes an actuating cylinder,and a piston shaft selectively extendable and retractable with respectto the cylinder under the influence of fluid pressure within thecylinder. A deck lift assembly is interconnected to the chassis and themower deck for adjusting the height of the mower deck with respect tothe chassis. The deck lift assembly includes a pivot member pivotallyconnected to the chassis. A jack is removably coupled to the pivotmember, such that the chassis is raised and lowered on the jack inresponse to movement of the piston shaft with respect to the cylinder.The mower deck is raised with respect to the chassis simultaneously asthe chassis is raised with respect to a ground surface.

[0005] Independent features and independent advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewof the following detailed description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lawnmower embodying the presentinvention.

[0007]FIG. 2 is an assembly view of a portion of the lawnmower of FIG.1.

[0008]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the lawnmower of FIG.1.

[0009]FIG. 4 is a side view of the lawnmower of FIG. 1, illustrating thelawnmower in a lowered position.

[0010]FIG. 5 is a side view of the lawnmower of FIG. 1, illustrating thelawnmower in a raised position.

[0011] Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of construction and the arrangements ofcomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thedrawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to beunderstood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for thepurpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012]FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a lawnmower 10 including a chassis 14, aseat 18 for an operator to sit in, a pair of control levers 22, frontwheels 24 and rear wheels 26 supporting the chassis 14, a mower deck 30,and a deck lift assembly 32. In the illustrated embodiment, thelawnmower 10 is a belly-mount zero turn radius mower. The lawnmower 10may also include a front mount mower. Although the illustrated lawnmower10 is a riding lawnmower, it is possible to use a deck lift assembly ona walk-behind lawnmower or any other implement for which it is desirableto provide access to the underside of the chassis or deck, and theinvention is therefore not limited to riding lawnmowers.

[0013] The illustrated deck lift assembly 32 includes a cylinderassembly 33 having an hydraulic cylinder 34 with a first end 38 fixed toa post or a pair of flanges 42 that are mounted to the chassis 14. Apair of bosses or ports 46 on the cylinder 34 receive hydraulic hosesfor operation of the cylinder 34. The cylinder assembly 33 also includesa piston shaft 50 that extends out of a second end 52 of the cylinder 34and reciprocates in response to hydraulic fluid being pumped into orremoved from the cylinder 34. In this regard, the hydraulic cylinder 34is preferably a double-acting cylinder.

[0014]FIG. 2 illustrates other aspects of the deck lift assembly 32.Threaded onto the end of the piston shaft 50 area pair of jam nuts 54.The jam nuts 54 sandwich a disk 58. Extending from the disk 58 over thecylinder 34 is a height-of-cut strap 62. The top surface of the cylinder34 includes markings corresponding to the height of the lawnmower deck30. When viewed from above (e.g., from the position of one sitting inthe seat 18), the end of the strap 62 aligns with the markings on thecylinder 34 and moves with the piston shaft 50 to indicate the height ofthe mower deck 30.

[0015] Also threaded onto the end of the piston shaft 50 is a rod end 66having a bearing or ball joint. The deck lift assembly 32 includes apivot member 68 having a first vertical link 70. The pivot member 68 ispivotally coupled to the chassis 14, and the piston shaft 50 isinterconnected to the first vertical link 70 of the piston shaft 50. Abolt, pin, or other fastener extends through the joint and fastens thejoint to the top end of the first vertical link 70. The pivot member 68is connected to the mower lift shaft 74, and the first vertical link 70is supported at its lower end by a mower lift shaft 74. The mower liftshaft 74 is supported for rotation with respect to the chassis 14 by apair of nylon flange bushings 78. The first vertical link 70 is keyed,welded, fastened, or otherwise fixed for rotation with the mower liftshaft 74. The pivot member 68, first vertical link 70, and mower liftshaft 74 are thus pivoted about the mower lift shaft longitudinal axisin response to linear reciprocation of the piston shaft 50.

[0016] A horizontal lift assist rod 82 is pinned at a first end to thefirst vertical link 70 and pinned at a second end to a second verticallink 86. The second vertical link 86 is supported by a stub shaft 90 towhich it is fixed for rotation, and the stub shaft 90 is supported forrotation with respect to the chassis 14 by nylon flange bushings 94. Apair of horizontal links 98 are fixed for rotation with the respectivemower lift shaft 74 and stub shaft 90. At least one of the horizontallinks 98 is connected to the pivot member 68. A length of chain 100(FIG. 1) hangs from the free ends of the horizontal links 98 and isattached to the deck 30. A similar linkage is positioned at the otherside of the lawnmower 10, and the same reference numerals are used forsimilar parts.

[0017] Through the above-described linkage, the deck 30 is raised inresponse to the piston shaft 50 being extended out of the hydrauliccylinder 34, and is lowered in response to the piston shaft beingretracted into the hydraulic cylinder 34. A plurality of cylinder stops102 are stored on a post 104 (FIG. 1) positioned generally behind theright leg of an operator of the lawnmower 10 when the operator is seatedin the seat 18. The cylinder stops 102 may be attached to the pistonshaft 50 and are sandwiched between the disk 58 and the end of thecylinder 34 to limit the extent to which the piston shaft 50 may beretracted into the cylinder 34.

[0018]FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of the lawnmower 10 including a jack110 having a jack connector 114 and a jack shaft 118. The jack connector114 is pivotally coupled to the top end of the jack shaft 118. The jackconnector 114 includes two flanges 126 that are substantially parallelto one another. Each flange 126 includes an aperture that aligns with anaperture in the top end of the jack shaft 118. A pivot pin 130 extendsthrough the aligned apertures to pivotally couple the jack connector 114to the jack shaft 118. A base 134 is connected to the bottom end of thejack shaft 118, and includes a surface area larger than thecross-sectional area of the jack shaft 118. The base 134 contacts theground, or other surface, to provide a sturdy foundation when the jack110 supports the lawnmower 10.

[0019] The pivot member 68 includes a link connector 138 supported bythe mower lift shaft 74 near the end of the lift shaft 74 adjacent thefirst vertical link 70 and the horizontal link 98. The link connector138 may be formed integral with the first vertical link 70 andhorizontal link 98 and mounted to the mower lift shaft 74, or may be aseparate portion fastened to the first vertical link 70, horizontal link98, and mower lift shaft 74. The link connector 138, first vertical link70, horizontal link 98, and mower link shaft 74 all pivot together aboutthe same pivot axis. Since the link connector 138 is connected to thefirst vertical shaft 70 and the mower lift shaft 74, the link connector138 is also pivoted about the mower lift shaft longitudinal axis inresponse to linear reciprocation of the piston shaft 50.

[0020] In FIG. 3, the link connector 138 is a hollow tubular portionhaving a substantially rectangular cross-section. The jack connector 114is coupled to the link connector 138. In the illustrated embodiment, thejack connector 114 is inserted into the link connector 138, with thejack connector 114 including a male coupling portion, and the linkconnector 138 including a female coupling portion. This embodiment maybe reversed, with the jack connector 114 including a female couplingportion, and the link connector 138 including a male coupling portion.Other similar coupling means may also be implemented to couple the jackconnector 114 and link connector 138.

[0021] The link connector 138 includes connector apertures 142 inopposing faces of the link connector 138. The jack connector 114 alsoincludes a connector aperture 146 extending through the jack connector114. The connector apertures 142, 146 may be aligned, and a connectorpin 150 may be inserted through the aligned connector apertures 142, 146to secure the jack connector 114 to the link connector 138. A cotter pin154 may be used to secure the connector pin 150 within the apertures142, 146.

[0022] The jack shaft 118 includes a stop portion 158 extending from itstop end. The stop portion 158 is substantially T-shaped and includes anarrow middle portion 162 extending between the flanges 126, and a widerupper portion 166 that projects outwardly beyond the width of theflanges 126. The stop portion 158 resists the jack connector 114 frompivoting upwardly beyond the stop portion 158.

[0023] The jack connector 114 includes lock apertures 170 in the flanges126. When the jack connector 114 pivots upwardly far enough in relationto the jack shaft 118 to expose the lock apertures 170 from the jackshaft 118, a lock pin 174 may be inserted through the lock apertures170. A cotter pin 178 may secure the lock pin within the lock apertures170. The lock pin 174 resists the jack connector 114 from pivotingdownwardly in relation to the jack shaft 118 and lowering the lawnmower10. As the jack connector 114 pivots downwardly, the lock pin 174 maycontact the side of the jack shaft 118 to resist the jack connector 114from pivoting further in relation to the jack shaft 118. The lock pin170 may be removed to lower the lawnmower 10.

[0024] As will be explained below, the above-described arrangement ofparts permits the convenient movement of the lawnmower 10 between alowered position, in which the wheels 24, 26 are at ground level, and araised position, in which at least two of the wheels 24, 26 are raisedoff the ground. FIG. 4 illustrates the lawnmower 10 in the loweredposition, and FIG. 5 illustrates the lawnmower 10 in the raisedposition. In the illustrated embodiment, the front wheels 24 and frontend of the lawnmower 10 are raised off the ground when the cylinderassembly 33 is actuated. The two rear wheels 26 remain in contact withthe ground, and the lawnmower 10 is raised to pivot on the rear wheels26. Therefore, the chassis 14 is raised at an angle with respect to theground overall, however, the front end of the chassis 14 is raisedrelatively higher than the rear portion of the chassis 14. In otherconstructions, the lawnmower 10 and jack 110 may raise just the rearwheels 26, one front wheels 24 and one rear wheel 26, or all wheels 24,26 off the ground.

[0025] In operation, the lawnmower 10 is raised onto the jack 110 whilethe lawnmower 10 is substantially stationary in a horizontal direction.In order to raise the lawnmower 10 onto the jack 110, the mower deck 30is first lowered with respect to the chassis 14 so the jack 110 may beconnected to the lawnmower 10. FIG. 4 illustrates the lawnmower 10 withthe cylinder assembly 33 retracted, and the mower deck 30 lowered nearthe ground. The jack connector 114 is coupled to the link connector 138,and the base 134 is positioned on the ground surface. The linearactuation of the cylinder assembly 33 is converted into rotationalmovement by the pivot member 68. The pivotal movement of the pivotmember 68 pivots the link connector 138 downwardly and pivots thehorizontal link 98 upwardly with respect to the chassis 14. Thissimultaneously raises the mower deck 30 with respect to the chassis 14,and raises the chassis 14 (on the jack 110) with respect to the ground.The dual movement of the mower deck 30 and chassis 14 providesadditional clearance for access under the lawnmower 10 and mower deck30, and to a cutting blade 182 within the mower deck 30.

[0026]FIG. 5 illustrates the lawnmower 10 in the raised position. As thepiston shaft 50 extends, the lawnmower 10 may be raised onto the jack110 until the piston shaft 50 is fully extended, an operator stops thepiston shaft 50, or until the flanges 126 of the jack connector 114contact the stop portion 158. The locking pin 174 may be insertedthrough the locking apertures 170 to secure the jack 110 and lawnmower10 in the raised position, and resist the lowering of the lawnmower 10.Additionally, cylinder stops 102 may be connected to the piston shaft50, as shown in FIG. 3, to resist the lowering of the lawnmower 10 fromthe jack 110. The cylinder stops 102 are sandwiched between the disk 58(FIG. 2) and the cylinder 34 to resist the piston shaft 50 fromretracting into the cylinder 34, thereby lowering the lawnmower 10. Whenthe lawnmower 10 is raised as shown in FIG. 5, the bottom portion of thelawnmower 10 and mower deck 30 may be accessed to change the cuttingblade 182, clear obstructions from the mower deck 30, or perform othermaintenance on the lawnmower 10.

[0027] The cylinder stops 102 (FIG. 3) and locking pin 174 may beremoved to lower the lawnmower 10. The piston shaft 50 retracts into thecylinder 34, and pivots the pivot member 68 in a counter-clockwisedirection, as shown in FIG. 5. As the pivot member 68 pivots, the linkconnector 138 and jack connector 114 also pivot with respect to the jackshaft 118 to lower the chassis 14 with respect to the ground surface.Simultaneously, the horizontal link 98 lowers the mower deck 30 withrespect to the chassis 14. When the piston shaft 50 is retracted intothe cylinder 34, the lawnmower 10 is in the lowered position and thefront wheels 24 may contact the ground, as shown in FIG. 4. The jackconnector 114 may then be disengaged from the link connector 138, andthe jack 110 may be removed from the lawnmower 10.

[0028] The lawnmower 10 may include a lift transport mounted to thelawnmower 10 to store the jack 110 when not in use. The lift transportmay be mounted to the front of the lawnmower 10, or onto a portion ofthe mower deck 30, or any other similar location that provides adequatespace to store the jack 110. The jack 110 may be securely fastened tothe lift transport.

[0029] In an alternate embodiment, the lawnmower 10 may includes twojacks 110 to raise the lawnmower 10. A second pivot member 68 may becoupled to the mower lift shaft 74 on the opposite side of the chassis14, and a second jack 110 could engage the second pivot member 68. Thesecond jack 110 would provide additional support for the lawnmower 10.

[0030] In the illustrated embodiment, the lawnmower includes a cylinderassembly 33 and a pivot member 68. Preexisting lawnmowers having acylinder assembly 33, or other similar hydraulic system, may be modifiedto include a pivot member 68 or link connector to accommodate the jack110. Therefore, the jack 110 may be utilized on preexisting lawnmowersas well as new lawnmowers 10 manufactured to accommodate the jack 110.

[0031] The foregoing detailed description describes only a few of themany forms that the present invention can take, and should therefore betaken as illustrative rather than limiting. It is only the claims,including all equivalents that are intended to define the scope of theinvention.

1. A lawnmower comprising: a chassis; a mower deck movable with respectto the chassis; a deck lift assembly interconnected between the mowerdeck and the chassis and operable to adjust the height of the mower deckwith respect to the chassis; and a jack movable between an engagedposition and a disengaged position; wherein operation of the deck liftassembly raises and lowers the chassis on the jack with respect to theground when the jack is in the engaged position.
 2. The lawnmower ofclaim 1, wherein the jack is disconnected from the deck lift assemblywhen the jack is in the disengaged position.
 3. The lawnmower of claim1, wherein operation of the deck lift assembly when the jack is in theengaged position raises and lowers the chassis on the jack with respectto the ground while simultaneously adjusting the height of the mowerdeck with respect to the chassis.
 4. The lawnmower of claim 1, whereinthe deck lift assembly includes an actuator; wherein the deck liftassembly adjusts the height of the mower deck with respect to thechassis in response to operation of the actuator when the jack is ineither of the engaged position and the disengaged position; and whereinthe deck lift assembly adjusts the height of the chassis with respect tothe ground in response to operation of the actuator when the jack is inthe engaged position.
 5. The lawnmower of claim 4, wherein the actuatorincludes a cylinder and a piston shaft selectively extendable andretractable with respect to the cylinder under the influence of pressurewithin the cylinder; wherein the deck lift assembly adjusts the heightof the mower deck with respect to the chassis in response to movement ofthe piston shaft with respect to the cylinder when the jack is in eitherof the engaged position and the disengaged position; and wherein thedeck lift assembly adjusts the height of the chassis with respect to theground in response to movement of the piston shaft with respect to thecylinder when the jack is in the engaged position.
 6. The lawnmower ofclaim 1, wherein the deck lift assembly includes a linkageinterconnected between the mower deck and the chassis; wherein the jackis interconnectable with the linkage; and wherein movement of thelinkage raises and lowers the chassis on the jack with respect to theground when the jack is in the engaged position.
 7. The lawnmower ofclaim 6, wherein the linkage includes a pivot member; wherein the jackis interconnectable with the pivot member; and wherein pivoting of thepivot member raises and lowers the chassis on the jack with respect tothe ground when the jack is in the engaged position.
 8. The lawnmower ofclaim 1, wherein operation of the deck lift assembly when the jack is inthe disengaged position adjusts the height of the mower deck withrespect to the chassis and does not raise and lower the chassis on thejack with respect to the ground.
 9. A lawnmower comprising: a chassis; amower deck movable with respect to the chassis; means for adjusting theheight of the mower deck with respect to the chassis; and a jack movablebetween an engaged position and a disengaged position; wherein thechassis is raised on the jack with respect to the ground in response tooperation of the adjusting means when the jack is in the engagedposition.
 10. The lawnmower of claim 9, wherein the jack is disconnectedfrom the adjusting means when the jack is in the disengaged position.11. The lawnmower of claim 9, wherein operating the adjusting means whenthe jack is in the engaged position raises and lowers the chassis on thejack with respect to the ground while simultaneously adjusting theheight of the mower deck with respect to the chassis.
 12. The lawnmowerof claim 9, wherein operation of the adjusting means when the jack is inthe disengaged position adjusts the height of the mower deck withrespect to the chassis and does not raise and lower the chassis on thejack with respect to the ground.
 13. The lawnmower of claim 9, whereinthe adjusting means includes an actuator; wherein the adjusting meansadjusts the height of the mower deck with respect to the chassis inresponse to operation of the actuator when the jack is in either of theengaged position and the disengaged position; and wherein the adjustingmeans adjusts the height of the chassis with respect to the ground inresponse to operation of the actuator when the jack is in the engagedposition.
 14. A method for jacking a lawnmower comprising a chassis, amower deck movable with respect to the chassis, and a deck lift assemblyinterconnected between the mower deck and the chassis and operable toadjust the height of the mower deck with respect to the chassis, themethod comprising: providing a jack; moving the jack from a disengagedposition to an engaged position; operating the deck lift assembly; andraising the chassis on the jack with respect to the ground in responseto operation of the deck lift assembly when the jack is in the engagedposition.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein moving the jack from adisengaged position to an engaged position includes connecting the jackto the deck lift assembly.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein operatingthe deck lift assembly when the jack is in the engaged position raisesand lowers the chassis on the jack with respect to the ground whilesimultaneously adjusting the height of the mower deck with respect tothe chassis.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the deck lift assemblyincludes an actuator, and wherein operating the deck lift assemblyincludes operating the actuator to simultaneously adjust the height ofthe mower deck with respect to the chassis and the height of the chassiswith respect to the ground.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein theactuator includes a cylinder and a piston shaft selectively extendableand retractable with respect to the cylinder under the influence ofpressure within the cylinder, and wherein operating the actuatorincludes moving the piston shaft with respect to the cylinder.
 19. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the deck lift assembly includes a linkageinterconnected between the mower deck and the chassis; wherein movingthe jack from a disengaged position to an engaged position includesconnecting the jack to the linkage; and wherein operating the deck liftassembly includes moving the linkage, thereby raising the chassis on thejack with respect to the ground.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein thelinkage includes a pivot member pivotable to raise and lower the mowerdeck with respect to the chassis; wherein connecting the jack to thelinkage includes connecting the jack to the pivot member; and whereinmoving the linkage includes pivoting the pivot member, thereby raisingthe chassis on the jack with respect to the ground.